Spotted Deer

Russell Gregor Elmer

Description

Spotted Deer is another in a series of exciting Westerns penned by author Elmer Russell Gregor. In this fast-paced novel, a war party sent from the Delaware tribe is forced to travel deep into remote enemy territory in a desperate bid for survival.

Sujets

• Westerns
• Western (genre)
• Western

Informations

• Publié par: The Floating Press
• Date de parution: 01 octobre 2015
• Nombre de lectures: 0
• EAN13: 9781776591596
• Langue: English

Extrait

SPOTTED DEER
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ELMER RUSSELL GREGOR
 
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Spotted Deer First published in 1922 Epub ISBN 978-1-77659-159-6 Also available: PDF ISBN 978-1-77659-160-2 © 2013 The Floating Press and its licensors. All rights reserved. While every effort has been used to ensure the accuracy and reliability of the information contained in The Floating Press edition of this book, The Floating Press does not assume liability or responsibility for any errors or omissions in this book. The Floating Press does not accept responsibility for loss suffered as a result of reliance upon the accuracy or currency of information contained in this book. Do not use while operating a motor vehicle or heavy equipment. Many suitcases look alike. Visit www.thefloatingpress.com
Contents
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Chapter I - The Cry of the Loon Chapter II - A Night of Anxiety Chapter III - Captured Chapter IV - A Wily Captive Chapter V - The Shawnee Camp Chapter VI - A Trying Ordeal Chapter VII - The Mystery Woman Chapter VIII - The Alarm Chapter IX - Away on the Search Chapter X - The Abandoned Canoe Chapter XI - A Council of War Chapter XII - On the Trail Chapter XIII - A Strange Ally Chapter XIV - Waiting and Watching Chapter XV - An Easy Victory Chapter XVI - A Daring Ruse Chapter XVII - Spotted Deer Obtains His Freedom Chapter XVIII - Shawnee Treachery Chapter XIX - Surrounded Chapter XX - A Timely Rescue
Chapter I - The Cry of the Loon
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Spotted Deer was returning to the Delaware village from a huntingexpedition. He was in high spirits for he had been most successful. Hiscanoe contained the carcass of a fat young buck, a brace of geese andseveral grouse. Spotted Deer sang softly to himself. It was a simplesong of thanks to Getanittowit, the Great One.
Listen, Getanittowit, I am singing about you. Getanittowit has filled my canoe with meat. Getanittowit has made me a great hunter. O Getanittowit, I feel good about it.
It was a glorious day in early autumn. The soft balmy air was perfumedwith the invigorating fragrance of the pines. The water sparkled in thesunshine. A smoky blue haze hung between the hills. The forest blazedwith color. Spotted Deer looked about him with delight. A red-tail hawkcircled slowly above his head. A woodpecker drummed its challenge upon adead pine. Spotted Deer smiled at the sound as he recalled an occasionwhen his friend Running Fox had used it as a signal to fool his foes.Lost in reverie, Spotted Deer ceased paddling to watch the great blackand white woodpecker hammering noisily on a bleached limb of the pine.Having found no evidence of foes in the Delaware hunting grounds, theyoung warrior felt secure.
"Hi, Papaches, you are making a big noise up there," he laughed, as heshook his bow at the bird.
The next moment he grew silent and alert. The call of Quiquingus, theloon, sounded somewhere behind him. Spotted Deer looked anxiously up theriver. There was something about the call which made him suspicious. Hesearched the water with great care, but saw nothing of the loon. Hebecame uneasy. Several disturbing questions rose in his mind. Was thecall false? Was it a signal from his foes? Had he been discovered?
The latter possibility was alarming as he was more than a day's journeyfrom the Delaware camp. Spotted Deer was undecided as to just what heshould do. Many moments passed while he watched anxiously for the loon.The woodpecker had flown. The forest was silent. Spotted Deer hoped thatthe cry would be repeated. When he failed to hear it, his suspicionsgrew stronger. He wondered if some sharp-eyed scout were watching fromthe edge of the forest. The thought made him cautious. He paddled intothe center of the river, where he was a long bow-shot from either shore.Then for a long time he waited and watched. However, as he neither sawnor heard anything further of the loon, he finally determined tocontinue on his way.
Spotted Deer had gone only a short distance when the call was repeated.Stopping his canoe, he again searched the water. The mysterious cryseemed to have come from somewhere along the west shore of theriver—the side on which he had seen the woodpecker. Spotted Deerexamined the shadows with infinite care, but his efforts were futile.The loon was nowhere in sight. His failure to discover it, and thesignificant fact that the call had been repeated when he started downthe river, increased his uneasiness. He was almost convinced that thecry was counterfeit. Still he wished to be sure. He waited some time,watching for the conspicuous white breast of Quiquingus, the Laugher.
"It is not Quiquingus," he declared, at last.
Having decided that the call was an imitation, Spotted Deer wondered whythe one who had made it had risked disclosing his hiding place. In amoment the truth flashed through his mind. He believed the call had beena signal to announce his approach to some one farther down the river.The thought caused him grave concern. He feared that he had blunderedinto a perilous predicament.
"I must watch out," Spotted Deer murmured, uneasily.
He permitted the canoe to drift slowly with the water while he meditatedupon a plan of action. Feeling quite certain that he had encountered acompany of his foes, his chief concern was to learn if they had canoes.In that event, he believed he would be in considerable peril. If,however, his enemies were hunting through the woods on foot, he believedthere was little to fear while he kept to the middle of the river.
"I will go ahead," he said.
The sun had disappeared. Twilight had fallen upon the woods. Long blackshadows swept over the water. The day was far spent. Spotted Deerwatched closely along the edge of the timber. He knew that it would beeasy to blunder past a canoe concealed in the shadows near the shore.Several times he was deceived by half-submerged trunks of fallen treeswhich in the baffling twilight resembled canoes. Then, as he paddledslowly around an abrupt turn in the river, he suddenly discovered twocanoes crossing directly ahead of him. Each canoe contained twopaddlers. They were a considerable distance away, but as Spotted Deerwas exposed in the center of the river he had little doubt that he hadbeen seen. The actions of the distant canoemen confirmed his fears. Theyhad ceased paddling and were looking steadily toward him. In themeantime the Delaware had turned his canoe into a stretch of quiet waterto avoid drifting toward the strangers. They showed no inclination toapproach, and soon disappeared into the shadows along the west side ofthe river.
Spotted Deer suspected a trap. He feared that other canoemen wereconcealed along the opposite side of the river. Under thosecircumstances it seemed folly to venture ahead before darkness came toshield him. Then he suddenly realized that it might be equally dangerousto loiter. He believed that other foes were somewhere behind him, and hefeared that they had canoes. In that event they might sweep around theriver at any moment and he would find himself trapped between hisenemies. The thought was alarming. It roused him to action. He turnedabout and paddled slowly up the river. Keeping well within the shadowsfrom the forest, he soon passed around the turn which hid him from hisfoes. At that moment the melancholy wail of Gokhos, the owl, soundedbehind him. He knew at once that it was a signal from the canoemen.
"I am in danger," Spotted Deer said, softly.
He feared that the warriors whom he had discovered would follow him, andthat other foes might come down the river in response to the signal.Aware of his peril, Spotted Deer ceased paddling and stared anxiouslyinto the shadows. The sunset glow had faded from the sky. The forest wasdark. Night was closing down. However, a narrow trail of daylight stilllingered in the middle of the river. Spotted Deer looked upon it withmisgiving. It was a barrier which he feared to cross.
Then he again heard the cry of Gokhos, the owl. It still came from downthe river, and seemed no nearer than it was before. Spotted Deer wasperplexed. Had the canoemen failed to follow him? It seemed mostunlikely. He became suspicious. Perhaps his foes were attempting someclever stratagem to quiet his fears. He wondered if the call had beensounded to mislead him into believing himself free from pursuit whilehis enemies approached cautiously through the shadows. He watchedclosely. He wondered why the signals brought no response. What hadbecome of the concealed scout who had imitated the cry of the loon?Spotted Deer began to think. Had he been deceived? Had Quiquingushimself uttered that cry? Spotted Deer scoffed at the idea. He felt surethat he would have discovered the bird if it had been anywhere withinsight.
"No, no, it was not Quiquingus," he declared, emphatically.
A moment afterward he heard the call of Gokhos repeated farther up theriver. His suspicions were confirmed. He realized that he was betweenhis foes.
"Quiquingus has changed to Gokhos," he said, soberly. "I must becautious."
Chapter II - A Night of Anxiety
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As the signals were not repeated, Spotted Deer feared that his foes wereapproaching each other with the hope of trapping him between them. Herealized that he must act quickly. For a moment only he studied hispredicament. If he attempted to dash down the river, the odds wereagainst him. He felt certain that there were two of his foes in eachcanoe, and he also knew that the weight of the game in his own canoewould be a serious handicap to his speed. It seemed folly, therefore, toattempt an open race for safety. Still, he knew that if he remained uponthe water there would be little chance of avoiding his foes. Thereseemed but one thing to do, and that was to hide in the woods until thecanoemen passed. He resolved to try the ruse.
Night had fallen, and forest and river were cloaked in darkness. Awarethat his foes might have come within bow-shot, Spotted Deer realizedthat each moment was precious. Turning toward the shore he maneuveredthe canoe with rare skill. It glided forward as easily